Origin

The rack is the name of a medieval instrument of torture. It consisted of a frame on which a victim was stretched by turning rollers to which their wrists and ankles were tied. To rack someone was to torture them on this device, and from this we get rack your brains (late 16th century) to mean ‘to make a great effort to think of or remember something’. The rack (Middle English) that you stand things on is related, and both come from German rek ‘horizontal bar or shelf’. This is not, however, the origin of winemaking rack meaning ‘draw off from the sediment’ (Late Middle English). This is from Provençal arracar, from raca ‘stems and husks of grapes, dregs’. Another use of rack (late 16th century) represents yet another word. When something deteriorates through neglect we may say that it is going to rack and ruin. Rack here is a variant spelling of wrack, meaning ‘destruction’ and is related to wreck.

Origin

The rack is the name of a medieval instrument of torture. It consisted of a frame on which a victim was stretched by turning rollers to which their wrists and ankles were tied. To rack someone was to torture them on this device, and from this we get rack your brains (late 16th century) to mean ‘to make a great effort to think of or remember something’. The rack (Middle English) that you stand things on is related, and both come from German rek ‘horizontal bar or shelf’. This is not, however, the origin of winemaking rack meaning ‘draw off from the sediment’ (Late Middle English). This is from Provençal arracar, from raca ‘stems and husks of grapes, dregs’. Another use of rack (late 16th century) represents yet another word. When something deteriorates through neglect we may say that it is going to rack and ruin. Rack here is a variant spelling of wrack, meaning ‘destruction’ and is related to wreck.

Origin

The rack is the name of a medieval instrument of torture. It consisted of a frame on which a victim was stretched by turning rollers to which their wrists and ankles were tied. To rack someone was to torture them on this device, and from this we get rack your brains (late 16th century) to mean ‘to make a great effort to think of or remember something’. The rack (Middle English) that you stand things on is related, and both come from German rek ‘horizontal bar or shelf’. This is not, however, the origin of winemaking rack meaning ‘draw off from the sediment’ (Late Middle English). This is from Provençal arracar, from raca ‘stems and husks of grapes, dregs’. Another use of rack (late 16th century) represents yet another word. When something deteriorates through neglect we may say that it is going to rack and ruin. Rack here is a variant spelling of wrack, meaning ‘destruction’ and is related to wreck.

Origin

The rack is the name of a medieval instrument of torture. It consisted of a frame on which a victim was stretched by turning rollers to which their wrists and ankles were tied. To rack someone was to torture them on this device, and from this we get rack your brains (late 16th century) to mean ‘to make a great effort to think of or remember something’. The rack (Middle English) that you stand things on is related, and both come from German rek ‘horizontal bar or shelf’. This is not, however, the origin of winemaking rack meaning ‘draw off from the sediment’ (Late Middle English). This is from Provençal arracar, from raca ‘stems and husks of grapes, dregs’. Another use of rack (late 16th century) represents yet another word. When something deteriorates through neglect we may say that it is going to rack and ruin. Rack here is a variant spelling of wrack, meaning ‘destruction’ and is related to wreck.

Origin

The rack is the name of a medieval instrument of torture. It consisted of a frame on which a victim was stretched by turning rollers to which their wrists and ankles were tied. To rack someone was to torture them on this device, and from this we get rack your brains (late 16th century) to mean ‘to make a great effort to think of or remember something’. The rack (Middle English) that you stand things on is related, and both come from German rek ‘horizontal bar or shelf’. This is not, however, the origin of winemaking rack meaning ‘draw off from the sediment’ (Late Middle English). This is from Provençal arracar, from raca ‘stems and husks of grapes, dregs’. Another use of rack (late 16th century) represents yet another word. When something deteriorates through neglect we may say that it is going to rack and ruin. Rack here is a variant spelling of wrack, meaning ‘destruction’ and is related to wreck.